Kary Hollenbaugh just earned her first professional and Epson Tour victory at the 2026 Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout.
Hollenbaugh joined the Epson Tour this past summer after ranking 5th in the LCAP Program, which serves the same purpose as the PGA Tour University rankings for the men. The top female college golfers will earn Epson Tour status straight out of college and exemptions into LPGA Q-Series. By ranking 5th, Hollenbaugh has status through the 2027 season on the Epson Tour and an exemption to the Qualifying Stage of LPGA Q-Series this year.
In just 8 starts, Hollenbaugh has climbed to No. 19 in the Race for the Card. The top 15 will earn LPGA Tour status, so she has one more chance – the Epson Tour Championship – to break into the top 15.
Hollenbaugh won the Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout in a three-way playoff against Juniper Jang and Kate Smith-Stroh. Smith-Stroh was tied for the lead heading into the final round and almost ended the tournament on the 54th hole with an eagle putt that just rolled by the hole. Jang, on the other hand, sunk a 40-foot birdie putt on the 54th hole to secure her spot in the playoff.
“You could see the leader was 6-under, and I knew she’d already finished, so that score wasn’t moving—I knew that I had to make that putt, so I just tried my best to focus and get the chance,” said Jang.
Hollenbaugh was even for the day before making birdie on four of her last five holes to surge up the leaderboard and into the playoff.
Hollenbaugh ultimately eagled the second playoff hole to secure the win.
“I think I kind of knew what I had to do—make eagle or birdie on 18 to give myself a chance,” said Hollenbaugh. “So I was able to hit a good drive in the fairway, and that was step one. And then just getting on the green and giving myself a putt for eagle was the goal… I think I just did a really good job committing to every shot that I had and gave myself chances.”
She went on to say that while she had a record-breaking career at Ohio State and finished 5th in the LCAP standings, she didn’t enter the summer with her best golf game.
“It’s been a really tough year for me. The past month has been kind of hard, and my game wasn’t in its best spot leading up to when I started playing on the Epson Tour, so I think just seeing the potential in my game—I’ve been putting in a lot of time and effort, mentally as well—so seeing that pay off and starting to trust it and use it on course.”
Despite the rough start, it’s about where you finish on the Epson Tour. With one event left – with more points offered than usual – plenty of players can still make their way into the top 15 spots and start 2027 on the LPGA Tour. The Epson Tour Championship will take place in Indian Wells, Calif., on Oct. 1-4, 2026.
